1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to scanning technology and, more particularly, to systems and methods for converting image data that correspond to a document into various file formats. In some embodiments, conversion of the image data is accomplished without re-analyzing the data acquired from the document.
2. Description of the Related Art
Scanner devices, such as flatbed scanners, are well known in the art. These devices produce machine-readable image data signals that are representative of a scanned document, such as a photograph or a page of printed text. In a typical scanner application, the image data signals produced by a scanner may be used by a personal computer to reproduce an image of the scanned document on a suitable display device, such as a monitor or a printer.
A typical flatbed scanner may include illumination and optical systems to accomplish the task of scanning a document. The illumination system illuminates a portion of the document (commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cscan regionxe2x80x9d). The optical system collects light reflected by the illuminated scan region and focuses a small area of the illuminated scan region (commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cscan linexe2x80x9d) on the surface of a photosensitive detector positioned within the scanner. Image data representative of the entire document may then be obtained by sweeping the scan line across the entire source document, usually by moving the illumination and optical systems with respect to the document being scanned.
Scanning devices are useful in many applications where it is desirable to transfer an image from printed form into electronic form. Scanners capable of reading and converting a document into electronic format have been available for quite some time. Typically, a scanner will electronically read a document, classify the different types of images on the document, and electronically store the information for later presentation and use. The types of classifications of a scanned document typically include text, photographs, drawings, charts, tables, business graphics, equations, handwriting, logos, etc. These different parts of the scanned image can be classified into regions. For example, in a document including text and drawings, a scanner can scan the document and classify and store the text information as a text region and classify and store the drawing information as a drawing region.
Generally, when a document is scanned, the scanned image is saved into the memory of the scanner, such as memory in a scanner, computer, processor-based device, etc. in a particular file format, such as a PDF file format. The scanning process produces a raster-scanned image (hereinafter scanned image). The scanned image is typically not in a format that is directly usable by many applications. In order to convert the scanned image into a usable format, the scanned image is typically analyzed by an image analysis system (e.g., page and region analysis system). Generally, the image analysis system decomposes the page into region (e.g., character and image regions), and the resulting regions are processed depending upon the type of region. For example, the image regions can be enhanced, while the character regions are processed using an optical character recognition process. Image analysis systems that include page analysis and region processing techniques are well known in the art.
Generally, the process of scanning, analyzing, and processing is problematic for at least two reasons. One problem is that if a document is to be used for multiple purposes the document must be retained and rescanned because once the scanned image has been processed into one format, pertinent information that may be needed for a different format may be lost. Therefore, the scanned image of one format cannot typically be reformatted to a different format because there may not be sufficient information to describe the scanned image in the different format.
Another problem is that the time consuming operations of scanning, analysis, and processing operations of the scanned image, such as optical character recognition, need to be performed independently for each format, thereby, expending valuable resources. used by multiple different formats, and thus need only to be performed once
Despite the problems identified above, rescanning, reanalysis and reprocessing of previously analyzed scanned images is typically conducted to convert the scanned image saved in a file of a particular file format into another file format. For instance, a user may want to convert the scanned image file into another file format so the scanned image can be manipulated using programs capable of reading the new file format of the scanned image.
Briefly described, the present invention provides image processing systems for converting image data corresponding to a document, where the image data exhibits a first format. In this regard, the image processing system includes a file conversion system configured to receive information corresponding to the image data. In addition, the file conversion system is configured to receive information corresponding to a second format to which the image data is to be converted. Further, the file conversion system is configured to retrieve information corresponding to a set of format rules, where the set of format rules corresponds to the second format. Still further, the file conversion system is configured to convert the image data to converted data representative of the image data and exhibiting the second format without, rescanning, reanalyzing, or reprocessing the document.
The present invention also involves a system for converting image data corresponding to a document, where the image data exhibits a first format. The method comprises: receiving information corresponding to the image data; receiving information corresponding to a second format to which the image data is to be converted; retrieving information corresponding to a set of format rules, the set of format rules corresponding to the second format; and converting the image data to converted data representative of the image data and exhibiting the second format without rescanning, reanalyzing, or reprocessing the document.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present invention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.